NEW DELHI: Days after Riyadh Air launched daily flights to Mumbai, Saudi Arabia’s low-cost airline Flyadeal announced it would operate the same route from October, amid increasing demand for connections between the Kingdom and India’s financial hub.
Flyadeal will operate five weekly flights between Riyadh and Mumbai on A320neo aircraft starting Oct. 3. The route expansion follows the inauguration of the airline’s service to Hyderabad, which started last month.
India “holds great importance” in Flyadeal’s international growth strategy, Sanjiv Kapoor, the carrier’s acting CEO, said in a statement on Monday.
“Adding Mumbai as our second Indian destination is a key milestone that expands our presence in this vital market. Our new Riyadh–Mumbai boosts capacity and gives the many Indian expatriates, business travelers and a growing number of tourists more choice and greater convenience when flying to and from the Kingdom.”
The number of Indians traveling to Saudi Arabia has been steadily increasing in recent years. Ministry of Tourism data shows that the Kingdom was the second-most popular foreign destination for Indian travelers in 2024, with more than 3.4 million trips recorded that year.
Flyadeal, which belongs to Saudia, the Kingdom’s national flag carrier, will be the second Saudi airline to launch Mumbai flights this year.
Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s second flag carrier, which started commercial operations in June, opened daily Riyadh-Mumbai flights last week, in response to what it said was “strong demand for travel” between Saudi Arabia and India.
The Riyadh–Mumbai route is a key route connecting the commercial capitals of both countries.
“As Mumbai is India’s financial hub and business capital, we will see increased interaction between the businesses of both countries, and it will definitely enhance our business relationship,” Manish Mohan, executive director at the Confederation of Indian Industry, told Arab News.
“You see a lot of travelers, a lot of business travelers, a lot of tourists traveling between India and Saudi Arabia. There is a need for increasing the frequency (of flights) between India and Saudi Arabia. This will not only boost tourism but also business.”
